


The Wind Has Its Reasons

by ParadiseAvenger



Category: Naruto
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Past Rape/Non-con, Past Sexual Abuse, Recovery, Sexual Slavery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-17
Updated: 2014-02-17
Packaged: 2018-01-12 20:26:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1198764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ParadiseAvenger/pseuds/ParadiseAvenger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When news of Itachi's death reaches Konoha, Naruto leaves to search for Sasuke, but he doesn't expect to find Sasuke in pieces nor does he have the skill to put him back together. Lemon. Adult Themes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Wind Has Its Reasons

Inspired somehow by the song “Anthem of the Angels” by Breaking Benjamin.

 **IMPORTANT NOTICE:** It was pointed out to me by Narlithe, that this story bears frightening similarities to the doujinshi, “Shikisokuzeku 2.” This story was not based on the doujinshi because I was unaware of it, but it is eerily similar so I wanted people to be aware that someone else had a very similar idea before I did. (Although the doujinshi is far less hardcore… Sasuke has no piercings and isn’t a sex slave.) Link, remove spaces and *: h*t*t*p :// www. fakku. n*e*t /doujinshi/shikisokuzeku-2-english

X X X

News of Uchiha Itachi’s death came like a gust of wind. It was violent for all its suddenness—demolishing everything in its wake with hurricane force, sweeping aside any and all thoughts like dry leaves, shattering the calm peace of summer in the sudden storm. But then, like any gust of wind, it passed on and over. Stillness fell in behind it and in the wake of that stillness, there was only relief.

Uchiha Itachi was dead. The threat of his existence had been nullified. There was no more fear that he would return to the Village Hidden in the Leaves and take more from them. There was no fear for his secrets or his techniques. He was gone. There was only relief and then rebuilding, just as many were apt to do after a sudden and violent gale of wind. 

After the trees were righted and the fallen electricity was restored in the wake of the squall that was Uchiha Itachi’s death, only one thing became clear.

“He’s not coming back, is he?” 

Uzumaki Naruto turned to look at the young woman who had spoken. Haruno Sakura stood at his elbow, her arms folded around her middle as if in pain. Her rosy tresses were scraped back in a bun and her emerald eyes were like jewels. She was thin, having lost weight between worrying and waiting for him to return. 

Naruto held out his hand to her and she stepped beside him, moving into his arms as easily as a bird taking flight. She leaned back against his chest, her small body belying the strength that hid within her. He sighed, resting his chin on the top of her head as he continued to stare out over the village. 

Though she did not voice her question again, Naruto answered softly, “I don’t know.”

“I’ve been waiting,” she said quietly, as if he didn’t know and hadn’t been waiting as well. 

To anyone watching, it would appear as if the two of them were taking turns watching the gates for any sign of his return home. They were like twin statues, twin shadows, up waiting at all hours of the night and day with their eyes focused on the horizon.

“I know,” Naruto murmured. “Me too.”

“Will you go after him?” Sakura asked. “Will you look for him?”

Even though he knew that question had been coming, it still felt like a blow. How long had it been since he had promised to bring him home? How long had that promise hovered like a storm cloud, heavy and unfulfilled? She wasn’t blaming him, but he could still blame himself. 

“I don’t know,” Naruto confessed. “I don’t know if I should.”

She closed her thin fingers over his wrists, holding him against her back with the closeness only they shared. “Why shouldn’t you?” she asked. “Is there a reason?”

“What if he’s…?” He couldn’t say it—couldn’t give power to the horrible words by admitting them aloud.

She shook her head slightly, a few loose tendrils of petal-soft hair brushing her cheeks. “Then we’ll bury him… It can’t be any harder than this…” Her words hung in the air like thin spider webs. 

Would it be better to know the truth—to know if he was dead already? Would it be better to live forever thinking he was still alive, watching the gates for his return? Would it be easier to bury the friend that they both loved in different ways than to continue to wait and feel this painful hope?

“Naruto?” Sakura whispered when he didn’t answer for a long time.

The wind howled between then as if imbued with the memory of Uchiha Itachi’s death. A few stray papers blew by and there the distant cry of some poor civilian as they lost their homework. The leaves rustled in the trees, branches knocking as softly as death wishing to be let inside. Then, the sudden breeze went still and quiet.

“I’ll go,” he said finally. 

A little shiver went through Sakura’s thin body. Her lips parted and he knew she would offer to go with him, to be part of his team, to share the burden that they both had carried for so long, but he didn’t want her to say those words. He put his hand gently over her mouth and felt her lips tremble as she swallowed the lexis. Instead, she leaned back against him, letting him hold her up as much as she held him from the brink. 

On the horizon, the sun was setting and the wind blew softly.

…

After eating ramen with Sakura, Naruto left that night, departing like a leaf on a stiff breeze—unstoppable and uncontained. He moved through the dark forest for what felt like an eternity, traveling to the distant place where Uchiha Itachi had lost his life. He barely slept or ate and soon he would be as thin as Sakura, even if it made him no less strong. 

The wind followed at his heels like a living thing, howling and blowing.

It took two days to travel to the location where Uchiha Itachi’s body had been found and the area was unremarkable save for the amount of damage that was spread out like a cancer. There was no mistaking this destructive power. It was too much hate, too much rage, too much… sorrow. 

Yes, it had to be him.

No one else could have killed Itachi.

Naruto searched the ruined area. He was unable to find his voice and did not call out his name. In fact, he barely dared to breathe. This place felt desolate and also sacred, like a graveyard, and yet that person couldn’t be dead. If he was… someone would have found him. There would have been news of his body, just like Uchiha Itachi. Naruto didn’t know what he had hoped to gain by coming here, but there was nothing. The ruin was vast and there were no clues. This place was Itachi’s grave, no more and no less. 

Followed by the breeze, Naruto moved on. It felt so hopeless to be out here, searching for him like this, but he couldn’t bear to go back to Konoha yet. He couldn’t see that look on Sakura’s face and tell her that there had been nothing. No, he would continue until the bottoms of his shoes were worn to nothing. He followed his feet, aimlessly wandering from town to village to tiny tea shop. Sometimes, he asked if people had seen someone fitting the description of his lost friend. 

The answers were always different and yet still the same. “Oh, what a handsome young man… I might have seen someone like that… No, I haven’t seen anyone…”

Naruto walked aimlessly through the thick woods, following his feet as if they knew something he didn’t. So far, they hadn’t brought him anywhere remarkable, but then again he didn’t have a better plan. He didn’t know where to look. He had no leads, no clues, nothing. 

It was as if… he really might have died…

He trailed his fingers over the rough bark of a nearby maple, walking through the canopy of green. The breeze played here, light and soft. He was so tired and the sun was warm on his back. He could just imagine Sakura’s voice, scolding him, telling him to rest. He smiled lightly to himself as he sat down at the base of the tree. He sighed, leaning back against the trunk and studying the sprawl of branches overhead. The leaves rustled in the soft breeze and they sounded almost like they were speaking.

“Yeah,” Naruto said to no one. “It’s a beautiful day.”

The wind did not answer in any language he could understand.

Naruto closed his eyes and made himself comfortable against the support of the tree. The sun was warm, the air was scented with distant flowers, and there was nothing else that could be done. Tomorrow, Naruto would begin heading home to Konoha. He wouldn’t stay away long enough for Sakura to fear she had lost another friend. For now, though, he would rest and maybe… just a little… maybe…

A single tear slid down his cheek, followed by another, and then another.

…

Naruto wasn’t sure what woke him. It wasn’t the feeling of someone adjusting his traveling cloak over his body a little better. He was plenty used to Sakura doing that and no longer woke when she did so. It took a moment for his sleep-addled brain to realize that he had taken this trip by himself and that Sakura was all the way back in Konoha. He was alone out here.

With a jolt, Naruto lurched upright, his blue eyes flying open like the wings of a startled bird. It was late in the day, growing cooler, but not yet sunset. How long had he been asleep? But he quickly pushed that thought away. It didn’t matter anyway. 

He scanned the surroundings quickly and spotted a long row of footprints in the springy grass. They were fresh because the grass was too healthy and thick to remain pressed down for long, but it was rare for a shinobi to leave behind footprints. Had it been a passing civilian or maybe a shinobi who wanted to be found? 

Naruto’s heart skipped a beat at the thought and he flew to his feet.

He took off after the footprints, following them through the dense forest, hoping against hope. Then, the thick forest cleared, giving way to a sheer cliff-side. The footprints were gone, but it was too late to give up now. Naruto had to know—he had to know for certain! Even if it wasn’t… even if it was just a passerby…

He quickly scaled the cliff, scrambling up the jagged rocks with more skill than he had ever possessed. His heart was pounding in his chest, beating against his ribcage with an eagerness that wasn’t befitting how he really felt. A tiny sapling had taken root in the middle of the rocky face, growing towards the heavens, and that was how Naruto felt. So many things were counting against this one moment. 

It wasn’t possible. It was foolish to hope. And yet… 

Naruto heaved himself over the rim of the cliff and jumped to his feet gracelessly. Panting, he looked around the plateau and there, in the distance, was a single figure. It was moving away at an unhurried pace, too far to make out accurately. 

Naruto took off running, barely able to breathe with his heart in his throat. He drew closer, tiny details rushing through his mind like minnows through dark water. A pale shirt, even paler skin, dark pants and bandages, a crop of wild dark hair, the glint of handsome features, the mark of a red and white fan on his back…

Naruto threw his arms around the figure from behind, the force of his body tackling them both to the dirt. He hung on tightly, fearing he’d be thrown off immediately or the person would disappear into a puff of smoke. Neither of these things happened. There was no fight and the body remained—warm and strong—beneath Naruto’s hands. In fact, he only lay there on the ground, inky hair spread out in a fan around his head, dark eyes turned to the side. 

For a moment, Naruto couldn’t speak. He couldn’t believe his luck and happiness took up root in his chest, stronger than any budding sapling on a cliff.

“What are you doing? Let go,” came his voice. “Aren’t I your enemy?”

Naruto froze, his arms still wrapped tightly around his missing friend.

“Let go,” he said again. “I won’t run away.” His voice was small and there was weakness in it.

Naruto drew back, looking into his face, trying to decide what would make his voice sound like that. Those dark eyes were still looking to the side, as if there was something very interesting in the grass beside his head. But no… it was more than just that. He wouldn’t even look at Naruto.

“Sasuke.”

His eyes didn’t move, still fixed on something in the distance, and it was profoundly disturbing for Naruto. Sasuke had always looked at him, stared right into his eyes as they fought or struggled. Even when Sasuke had sworn never to return to Konoha, he had always looked at Naruto, but now…

“Look at me,” Naruto murmured, pressing his hand to Sasuke’s face and turning his head so that he would look up at him. Sasuke allowed his head to be turned, but he still didn’t move his eyes. “Sasuke?”

“Let go,” Sasuke said again. “Or could it be… that you’re planning to rape me?”

Naruto released his face as if burned, jolted back, and stared at Sasuke in disbelief. “What?”

Sasuke didn’t respond. He continued to lie beneath Naruto, the halves of his white shirt parted to expose his pale chest. Even though it had always been like that, the bared skin suddenly looked lewd and Naruto looked sharply back to Sasuke’s face and distant eyes.

“What did you say?” Naruto demanded.

“It’s alright,” Sasuke said softly. “Go ahead. Rape me… then kill me.”

Naruto opened his mouth to protest, but anything he was thinking was abruptly wiped from his mind when Sasuke’s hand ran over the crotch of his orange pants. Despite everything, Naruto’s body twitched with interest. It had been a long time since he had—

“Don’t!” Naruto protested, grabbing Sasuke’s wrist and pulling it sharply away. He tried not to think about how brittle the bones felt under his hand or how easily Sasuke allowed his hand to be pulled aside and pinned to the ground. “Sasuke…?” he whispered.

“You want me, don’t you?” Sasuke continued quietly. “It’s okay. Take me right here… Rape me and then kill me…”

Something was wrong. 

Something was incredibly hideously wrong!

“Sasuke,” Naruto breathed out. “What is it? What’s happening?”

Sasuke’s eyes remained focused on some distant point and Naruto turned his head to look, but they were alone on the plateau. There wasn’t even a breeze. The air was so still, so quiet. Naruto looked quickly back into Sasuke’s face, but nothing had changed. 

“Sasuke?”

“Go ahead,” he said again. “You want to so it’s fine. Do it.”

Naruto had never been delicate. Maybe, if Sakura was with him, she would have had some kind of delicate way to bring Sasuke back to his old self and make him stop spouting this nonsense. But Sakura was not with him. Naruto was alone with Sasuke, his pants getting tighter the longer he looked down at his friend. Uncertain of what else to do, he drew back his fist and punched Sasuke solidly in the face.

The reverberation of the brutal blow hung in the air between them before the wind blew it away. In the wake of the painful strike, Sasuke curled onto his side, pressing his hand lightly over the horrible welt that was developing on his pale face. The sound that escaped Sasuke’s lips was like nothing Naruto had ever heard before. It was nearly a sob, almost a whimper, and completely heartbreaking.

“S-Sasuke?” he whispered. 

Worried, he reached out to gingerly brush Sasuke’s dark hair away so he could see the injury easier, but Sasuke flinched painfully, that sound escaping his lips again. Though he did nothing to stop Naruto’s advancement at all, Naruto still stopped dead. His fingers were mere inches from Sasuke’s face and then he drew them back.

“S-Sasuke?” Naruto whispered again, hesitating. 

Sasuke drew his hands away from his face, the hideous welt standing out painfully on such pale skin. “It’s nothing,” he murmured. “It’s alright. Do what you want to me…”

“Why do you keep saying that?”

Sasuke reached for him and Naruto didn’t pull away even when Sasuke’s fingers folded over the crotch of his pants again. Instead, he held back his feelings of arousal, forcing himself to remain focused on the injury on Sasuke’s face and how his voice was so small and how his dark eyes still wouldn’t meet Naruto’s. For a moment, Sasuke worked his fingers and hands against Naruto, trying to arouse him, but Naruto managed to keep himself in check and soon Sasuke’s hands fell.

“You wanted me before,” Sasuke murmured.

Naruto gently took Sasuke’s shoulders in his hands and held him lightly. “Sasuke, please, tell me what happened. Why are you like this?”

Sasuke shook his head. “Let me go.”

“No,” Naruto said gently. “It’s time for you to come back with me, back to Konoha.”

Sasuke flinched, trying to pull away, but Naruto didn’t let him. “No,” he said. “I can’t go back. I can never go back.”

“You can,” Naruto tried to console him. “Itachi is dead now. You killed him, didn’t you?”

Sasuke nodded weakly. 

“Then you have no reason to stay away anymore. Tsunade is the Hokage now. She’ll do everything she can to pardon you,” Naruto tried to explain. “You can come back and become part of Team Seven again. Kakashi misses you. Sakura misses you.” He halted, hesitating, but Sasuke still wouldn’t look at him. Gingerly, Naruto slid his fingers under Sasuke’s chin and tried to get his teammate to meet his eyes. “Sasuke, I miss you.”

Sasuke flinched sharply, pulling his head from Naruto’s grasp. “You can’t miss me… not after everything I’ve done… not after everything I’ve become…”

“Become?” Naruto breathed out.

The wind whispered through the silence between them. Sasuke didn’t make a sound. Instead, he merely pulled the two halves of his white shirt further apart, letting the material slide halfway down his shoulders. His bare skin was pale and beautiful, smooth and unmarked, and Naruto looked away. Already, the arousal he had tried so hard to keep in check was returning just at the sight of Sasuke’s bare flesh.

“Look,” Sasuke whispered.

Naruto forced his eyes back to his friend, trying to understand what it was Sasuke was trying to show him. For a moment, all he could make out through the haze of his own arousal was that Sasuke was thinner than he remembered. The curve of his ribcage was standing out against his pale skin and there were some bruises at his collarbones that he hadn’t noticed before. 

But the longer Naruto stared, he began to realize that they weren’t bruises on Sasuke’s collarbones at all. They were too regular for that, too round, and lined perfectly along the lean bones. One was even fitted neatly into the hollow of his throat. It was nearly impossible to get such a perfectly round bruise there, especially when the rest of Sasuke’s torso was unscathed.

Hickeys, Naruto realized with a jolt that went right to his groin. He looked a little closer and realized that Sasuke’s nipples were pierced. The tender skin was raw and red, slightly swollen, but the piercings weren’t new. For a long time, someone had been—another jolt of hot arousal went straight between Naruto’s legs and he hoped Sasuke couldn’t tell.

But, following in the wake of that worry, another one reared its head much stronger than the first. Sasuke’s behavior, his inability to meet Naruto’s eyes, that pitiful sound he had made, the way he was still laying beneath Naruto without resisting… When Naruto combined those things with the countless hickeys and the piercings, one thing became clear.

“Orochimaru always was a pedophile,” Naruto muttered under his breath.

Sasuke flinched.

Naruto tugged the shirt down Sasuke’s arms the rest of the way and laid it gingerly aside. Then, he began to unfasten the long armguards that Sasuke wore. They covered from just above his elbows to his knuckles and were difficult to remove. Naruto finally wrestled them off and found that Sasuke’s wrists were circled with dark bruises and the joints were slightly swollen. He had been restrained by someone and he had struggled. 

Naruto ghosted his fingertips over the bruises, horror taking root in his heart. “Take off what you’re wearing,” he said quickly before he could think. “All of it.”

Something in Sasuke’s expression seemed to shatter when Naruto demanded that, but then he schooled his features into a mask of indifference. His dark eyes were still staring into the distance as he unknotted the purple rope around his hips and let Naruto’s active hands strip him completely. Naruto made a harsh strangled sound when all of Sasuke’s body came into view. 

“God… damn…” Naruto whispered.

Sasuke’s body had always been envied by men and women alike, but now it was a mess. The insides of his thighs were badly bruised, marked with bites and scratches in places. From what Naruto could see of his buttocks, the cheeks were badly beaten. Welts from a crop left straight paths across the tender skin and hand-sized bruises covered the rest. Worst of all, the head of his member had been pierced as well, the tiny silver ball shining neatly at the tip.

He reached out his hand, hoping to somehow soothe the pain Sasuke must have been feeling, but he didn’t know where to begin. 

Sasuke, misreading Naruto’s outstretched hand, whispered, “Go ahead… Touch me…”

Naruto jolted back, his heart pounding. “Sasuke, who did this to you?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Sasuke murmured. “Go ahead. Take me right here… Rape me, then kill me… just like you want…” 

Then, he reached forward and slid his hands against the bulge in Naruto’s pants. Since he was so focused on looking at Sasuke’s body, Naruto hadn’t even realized that he had grown hard. Quickly, he tried to pull away and hide his arousal, but Sasuke always had been faster. In an instant too hasty for Naruto’s addled brain to recognize, Sasuke had already tugged down the orange pants and lowered his mouth to Naruto’s engorged member. 

His mouth was so hot, so wet, that all rational thought to push Sasuke away was gone the instant his lips closed around the head. There was metal in his mouth, tapping amazingly at Naruto’s most sensitive places. Sasuke’s lips and tongue were expert, his hands covering every inch that his mouth couldn’t reach. Then, he swallowed Naruto deeply and the muscles of his throat were tighter than anything Naruto had ever felt before.

With a half-realized cry, Naruto found his hands tangling in Sasuke’s soft dark hair, pulling him closer, encouraging him to take his length deeper into his throat. He felt Sasuke’s throat spasm, a tiny gagging noise escaping, before Sasuke’s efforts increased and he swallowed to the hilt. The metal in his tongue ghosted along the sensitive underside. His breath was labored against Naruto’s belly, but he barely noticed through the haze of pleasure.

Then, Sasuke began to move. He bobbed his head, the walls of his throat clenching and releasing raggedly as he gasped for breath. It occurred to Naruto to push him away, to let him breathe easier, but his hands didn’t understand and just kept pulling Sasuke back, making him swallow the shaft deeper again and again. The metal of Sasuke’s tongue piercing was hot and hard, but far gentler than teeth, and Naruto soon came. 

His seed filled Sasuke’s mouth, built up for so long. Though most of it was swallowed, some poured from the corners of Sasuke’s mouth and dripped onto his hands. He began to withdraw Naruto from his mouth, licking and cleaning as he did so. Then, with a grateful gasp of air, he leaned away and turned his back to Naruto slightly. Quietly, Sasuke looked at his soiled hands and then touched the stickiness that remained on his face.

Panting, Naruto watched as a strange sad expression crossed Sasuke’s face. Then, he wiped his face clean with his fingers and brought them to his mouth, licking and sucking away the seed that lingered. His hands trembled slightly. Naruto stared, caught between finding the sight amazingly erotic and somehow incredibly painful. There was something wrong with the way Sasuke did that, something very wrong… Naruto quickly put his satisfied flesh away, ashamed of himself, and turned his attention to his friend. 

“Sasuke,” Naruto whispered and fumbled through his pockets for a handkerchief. Finding nothing, he leaned towards Sasuke with his sleeve pulled over his hand, intending to wipe away the semen that still remained on Sasuke’s pale face. “You don’t have to do that,” he murmured.

Sasuke turned his face away, eyes unwilling to meet Naruto’s. He didn’t speak, but he didn’t let Naruto clean him up either. Once more, he wiped his face clean with his fingers and then licked them. The wind blew softly and his dark hair fluttered over his cheeks, obscuring his expression.

“Sasuke,” Naruto said gently. Then, he stretched out his hand and laid it on Sasuke’s shoulder. He pulled him back to face him, cupping his cheek lightly with one hand. Sasuke’s hair was like silk where it whispered over the back of Naruto’s hand. Tenderly, Naruto ran the soft strands between his fingers and a little shiver ran through Sasuke’s naked body. “Why would you do that?”

Sasuke was quiet for a very long time. The sun sank lower and lower on the horizon, casting deep shadows across the thin planes of his pale face. “I killed Itachi,” Sasuke whispered finally in a voice that was small and broken. “I’ve… lost my reason to live…”

“But this—” Naruto’s fingers lightly touched the ring that pierced Sasuke’s nipple and he cried out lightly, a flush creeping over his cheeks. “Why is this…?”

Shame colored Sasuke’s face and then he whispered, “You already said it…”

“Said what?” Naruto asked.

“Orochimaru,” was all Sasuke would say.

Naruto’s heart skipped a beat. He had always suspected the truth of Orochimaru’s behavior towards Sasuke and other children. So had half of Konoha, but to see the evidence lain out so clearly on Sasuke’s pale body was unspeakable.

“How long?” Naruto whispered.

Sasuke continued to gaze at the ground. “Since the day I left you in Konoha, since the day I came to him…”

“You have to get away from him,” Naruto said fiercely. “Come with me. I’ll—”

“I killed him too,” Sasuke said quietly.

“What?” Naruto breathed out in shock. How could Sasuke be kneeling here with him, naked and so beaten, battered and bruised, and yet still be strong enough to kill both Orochimaru and Itachi? It was a paradox, like the strength in Sakura’s small thin body. “When?”

“Before Itachi,” Sasuke said slowly, his hair dipping down to hide his face. 

“But these marks,” Naruto murmured. Gently, he touched the hickeys that marred Sasuke’s collarbones and the bruises that covered his behind. They were a day or two old, but they were still quite fresh. Uchiha Itachi had been dead nearly a week. “What happened?”

Sasuke’s laugh was pained and humorless. Then he said, “I told you… I lost my reason to live, but I’m… not ready to die… Pathetic, isn’t it?”

“You mean, you’ve been… letting people do this to you?” Disbelief and horror edged Naruto’s voice.

Sasuke gestured slightly to Naruto’s body, to what he had done only moments ago even if the evidence was gone now. “I’m good at it,” he said softly.

Naruto pulled Sasuke to him, wrapping his arms around his naked back and holding him close. “Stop,” he whispered. “Don’t say things like that.”

For a moment, Sasuke remained in the embrace, his chin resting on Naruto’s shoulder and his breath rasping lightly against the shell of his ear. His skin was cool beneath Naruto’s hands, marked with nearly-invisible white scars that could only be felt. He was so thin, almost frail, against Naruto’s strength. Gently, Naruto began to run his hands up and down Sasuke’s back without speaking. Between his legs, his member because to awaken again, pressing insistently.

After a moment, Sasuke pulled away, his eyes still focused distantly. Without looking at Naruto, he lay down again, his knees closed together lightly and there were circles of bruises on his ankles as well. Sasuke closed his fingers into the material of his orange jacket and pulled him down, letting Naruto’s weight crush him into the dense grass. Naruto braced himself on his hands, staring down at Sasuke with something between shame and desire.

His fingers lightly wandered Sasuke’s chest, curiously flicking the nipple rings and prying a little whimper from Sasuke’s mouth. His cheeks were still tinged pink with a blush, but it was fading as Naruto gently touched him. God, he wanted so badly to… and it looked like Sasuke would let him.

“Sasuke,” Naruto began, “if you don’t want…”

Sasuke shook his head slightly, his dark hair feathering against his cheeks.

“Say something,” he whispered. “If you don’t, I really will… I want to…”

“It doesn’t matter,” Sasuke whispered. “Go ahead.”

Naruto lowered his lips to Sasuke’s skin, pressing a light kiss to his bruised cheek. Sasuke jolted painfully, a little keening sound escaping his lips, and Naruto moved his attention elsewhere. He feathered kisses all along Sasuke’s tender throat, his tongue snaking out occasionally to taste the texture of the smooth white skin. His fingers found the cool metal of the nipple rings and teased them gently, hoping that whatever pleasure Sasuke felt would override whatever pain came from the over-touched flesh. 

He pressed his lips to Sasuke’s collarbones, feeling the small pained lumps that were left behind by so many hickeys. Though he wanted to mark Sasuke as his own, to let Sasuke know that he still cared enough to want him, he didn’t dare add more bruises to the battered skin. Instead, he let a soft kiss linger on each and every mark. When he pressed his lips into the hollow of his throat, Sasuke’s gasped in a way that made Naruto’s body harden with desire. 

His fingers trailed lightly down Sasuke’s chest and gently coiled around his half-hard length. Naruto’s thumb brushed lightly over the piercing at the head, experimenting. He had heard that piercings in such locations only increased pleasure, but it just looked so painful. Sasuke cried out softly, his head tipping back in a way that could only be pleasurable, his fingers clutching at the grass. With his free hand, Naruto took one of Sasuke’s clutching hands and brought it to his lips. He pressed a few kisses to the knuckles and then lightly traced his tongue over the ring of painful bruises that circled Sasuke’s wrists.

For a split second, Sasuke’s dark eyes flashed up and met Naruto’s. His expression was soft and pained, but the eye contact lasted a mere instant before it was over. A new flush crept up Sasuke’s neck and his grip on Naruto’s hand tightened. 

Naruto understood that brief look. Sasuke had been reassuring himself that Naruto was still here, was still above him, was still touching him… still wanted him. Team Seven had always been close and, though Naruto had never thought he and Sasuke would be close to this degree, he didn’t mind. He would have done the same with Sakura had she asked. If it meant getting Sasuke to look at him, Naruto would do anything. Besides, he should return the favor to Sasuke.

Naruto dipped his head and took Sasuke's length into his mouth. Sasuke's piercing was cool on his tongue and he couldn’t help but toy with it, sliding it about and twisting it curiously. Sasuke shuddered beneath his lips, a little mewl of pleasure escaping him.

Naruto smiled lightly. He had been thinking of trying to take Sasuke deeper into his mouth, but the little metal ring seemed to give Sasuke more pleasure than anything. Instead, Naruto lavished all his attention on it until Sasuke had melted beneath him.

“Stop,” Sasuke panted. “I’m going to…”

“Go ahead,” Naruto said softly and the vibration of his words went right to Sasuke’s core. 

With a soft cry, he came. His seed spilled hotly on Naruto’s tongue and face and Naruto was surprised by the bitter flavor. How could Sasuke have licked it all up earlier without so much as a single expression of distaste? He pulled back slightly, wiping his face and mouth with his sleeve carelessly.

Sasuke stared up at him, stricken, his eyes meeting Naruto’s solidly. “I’m sorry,” he choked out. “I’m sorry. I—”

Naruto didn’t have time to enjoy the eye contact. Sasuke’s words were strange and there was a note of pained hysteria in his voice. “Why are you sorry, Sasuke?” he asked and gently brushed some of his dark hair from his face.

Sasuke flinched as if expecting to be struck again and the welt Naruto had left on his face stood out like an accusation. “I… came… before you did…”

A little thread of ice worked its way into Naruto’s heart. Months ago, he had been eavesdropping on Tsunade, hoping to hear classified news of either Akatsuki or Sasuke. Instead, he had heart news of a small group of sex slaves that had been discovered on the edge of the Land of Fire. Konoha’s shinobi had of course rescued them and brought them all back to the Village Hidden in the Leaves where Tsunade and Sakura had done their best to heal them. Most had been kidnapped from their homes and should have been eager to return, but many hadn’t.

Naruto had listened to the rest of the conversation even though he wished he could have turned away. It was like looking at a bad accident. He didn’t want to look, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away. He had listened in horrified silence as Tsunade explained that much of their minds had been broken to the point that they thought they had no purpose except to give up their bodies for other’s pleasure. Some of them thought they even deserved to be raped for trying to sleep or eat rather than coming to the call of their masters. 

And now, the words Sasuke spoke paralleled one of the things he had heard Tsunade remark upon with disgust. “There’s another problem. Not so much with the girls since it’s more difficult for women to achieve orgasm, but the boys,” she had said with a shake of her head. “So many of the boys think they’re only holes to be used and if they reach orgasm before their ‘masters,’ they’re terrified of punishment. They also swallow everything for the same reason. It’s disgusting… to break a person down like that… to make them think they’re nothing…”

Naruto jolted, his grip on Sasuke’s softening member tightening slightly.

Sasuke yelped quietly, but stifled any other sounds of pain that threatened to escape. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “Let me…”

“No,” Naruto said gently, pushing Sasuke’s hands away. 

Sasuke looked stricken, his dark eyes focused on Naruto’s straining pants. “If you won’t… take my mouth… maybe you will…” 

Then, he turned away and rested on his hands and knees with his bottom facing Naruto. For a moment, all Naruto could see were the horrible bruises and welts that marred the creamy skin. Gently, he ran his hand over the smooth cheek and Sasuke shivered. He glanced back, his eyes meeting Naruto’s for a moment before sliding away again. He bit his lower lip, tongue flicking out nervously, and rocked gently back into the soft touch of Naruto’s hand as if to accept it. 

Then, resting most of his weight on his shoulders, Sasuke reached back with both hands and cautiously spread his cheeks to reveal his very core. There was something already inside him, the small round end peeking out just a little bit. Sasuke grasped the end with the tips of his fingers and withdrew it slowly, shuddering at the feeling. He revealed it to be a small tube of lubricant and his muscles clenched softly as the intrusion was removed.

“Just use this,” Sasuke murmured, “if you don’t want to… hurt me…”

Naruto wished Sasuke was in a better position so he could touch his face, look into his eyes, and try to figure out what he was really thinking. In his head, he knew that this was all probably some kind of desperate ploy, but he didn’t know for what. He only wanted to bring Sasuke home so that this missing piece of his heart could fall into place. His body, on the other hand, wanted nothing more than to give into the gorgeous sight that was spread so willingly before him, no matter the reason.

He knew it was a bad idea to give in, but Sasuke was there, so willing, and as beautiful as any woman. Besides, not matter in what shape or form, Naruto wanted to give Sasuke a reason to live again. He wanted to bring even a spark of light back to those dark eyes. He needed this shadow that was Sasuke to become whole, to look at him, to smirk, and to come home. For that, he would do anything—even something that seemed horrible when the reasons were turned towards the harsh light of day.

“I would never hurt you,” Naruto whispered. 

Then, he rose onto his knees behind Sasuke, letting his clothing brush against his naked skin and causing Sasuke to tremble slightly. He gently wrapped his arms around Sasuke’s torso, pulling him back into an awkward embrace, and then pressed his lips to the base of his neck. He folded a kiss over Orochimaru’s curse seal, his tongue tracing the dark marks lightly.

Sasuke shuddered, his entire body dissolving against Naruto’s arms.

“Are you certain?” Naruto whispered into his skin. “If you don’t want to, just say something…”

Sasuke didn’t speak, neither to accept or deny, but he rocked his hips lightly back against Naruto’s groin. It wasn’t much of an answer, but Naruto couldn’t wait much longer. His pants were beginning to feel like an Iron Maiden and he quickly freed himself from the torturous clothing. He squeezed some of the lubricant onto his erection and stroked it slowly, studying the curve of Sasuke’s back.

Gingerly, Naruto lined himself up with Sasuke’s entrance and slowly slid inside. Sasuke made a soft sound, his arms collapsing beneath his weight, as he was filled. He trembled, little shivers running up and down his spine, and Naruto followed them with his lips. The inside of Sasuke’s body was so hot and tight. It was like nothing he had ever felt before, nothing like being with a girl or even being in Sasuke’s mouth.

Sasuke whimpered softly as Naruto rocked his hips experimentally. The muscles clenched and released in a burning sheath as he moved and it was the most amazing feeling. Naruto soon lost himself in the pleasure and thrust deeply into Sasuke’s pliant body. His head tipped back in delight as he moved, feeling his hips meet Sasuke’s buttocks with a soft slap-slap each time. 

Then, he was spilling inside Sasuke with a soft cry. 

When Naruto pulled out, Sasuke crumpled completely as if the shaft buried inside his body had been the only thing keeping him up. He collapsed on his side, white semen leaking from inside him and rolling over the dark bruises on his skin. His length lay soft against his thigh, the piercing glinting weakly in the fading daylight.

Guilt immediately gnawed at Naruto. He had known it was wrong to take advantage of Sasuke, but he had wanted him so badly.

“Sasuke?” Naruto whispered, sliding his fingers through Sasuke’s inky tresses and pushing them back from his face gently. “Are you okay?”

Even with Naruto right in front of him, leaning over him naked and concerned, Sasuke’s eyes remained focused on some distant point. He wouldn’t look at Naruto for even a moment and Naruto felt as if he had broken something deep inside Sasuke. 

“Sasuke,” he whispered again, but there was no response. 

With nothing left to do, Naruto leaned down and kissed his lips very gently, hoping such a small innocent gesture would speak the words that he couldn’t even find. He didn’t know what to do with Sasuke like this. Nothing seemed to be working. Even doing the things Sasuke seemed to want didn’t help.

Much to Naruto’s surprise, Sasuke came alive under his lips. His hands lifted, ghosting up Naruto’s naked back and clinging to his shoulders tightly. Though his mouth didn’t open, he leaned closer, putting all of himself into the kiss. Naruto cupped the back of Sasuke’s head, supporting him even as he let the kiss press deeper. 

Sasuke gasped into his lips, whispering for the first time, “Naruto.”

“Yes,” Naruto whispered into their soft kiss. “I’m here.”

Sasuke’s arms pulled him tighter, closer, their naked skin pressing completely. When something warm and wet dripped onto Sasuke’s face, he wanted to flinch away, but it rolled easily down his cheek. It wasn’t sticky, it wasn’t semen. He forced his eyes to Naruto and looked up into the face of his best friend. 

Naruto was crying, slow tears making paths down his scarred cheeks. “Sasuke, you… you’re in there, right?”

Sasuke nodded slightly, holding Naruto’s gaze.

“I’m sorry,” Naruto whispered, pressing another soft kiss to Sasuke’s lips. “I’m so sorry. I took you and you didn’t even… Let me… make up for it…” His fingers curled around Sasuke’s limp member, but Sasuke put his hands over Naruto’s and shook his head.

“No,” he whispered. “Just… like this…” Then, he put his arms around Naruto’s naked back and held on tightly. He didn’t need any more sex. He had had enough. All he wanted was to be held, gently, like he meant something to someone.

So, Naruto held him, cradling the body that had always seemed stronger and faster as it trembled with emotion. He stroked Sasuke’s dark hair, burying his face into the side of Sasuke’s neck. Sasuke remained in his lap, his body broken and battered, but he was alive. God, he was alive. His heart was beating fiercely and his pulse was pounding. He was warm, so warm.

“You’re alive,” Naruto whispered into him. “You don’t know how happy that makes me.”

Sasuke didn’t answer and for a moment, Naruto’s heart stopped. But when he gently pulled Sasuke away so he could look into his face, those dark eyes met his. They did not slide away, vacant and deceased. They met and they held and he saw Sasuke inside them.

Sasuke had been hurt, he had been used, he had been damaged, and he had been abused.

But he was alive.

“Sasuke,” Naruto whispered and kissed him again with such tenderness.

Sasuke melted into him, his arms coiling around Naruto’s naked back.

“Come back with me,” he whispered. “Come home.”

He felt Sasuke nod into his shoulder, even if he trembled as he did so. 

…

Sakura was standing at the gate, her green eyes focused on the horizon with the sunset reflecting within them. Naruto had been gone for a long time now, nearly a week, and Sakura promised herself that if he didn’t return the next day, she would go after him. But until then, she would have faith and she would wait. 

And she did. She waited at the gate until the sunk sank completely beyond the curve of the earth, the stars came out, and the moon rose. The pale light washed over her like a cool touch as she waited, picking out constellations. The night was crisp and deep and she shivered slightly in the soft breeze that came up suddenly.

Then, at the crest of the road, she saw the flash of orange that could only be one person. She couldn’t wait any longer and ran to meet him, her heart pounding even faster than her feet on the pavement. She threw her arms around Naruto and embraced him tightly. 

Though she wanted Naruto to bring Sasuke home to them more than anything, the only thing she would not sacrifice for that wish was Naruto himself. Even if Sasuke never returned to Konoha, Sakura would always wait for Naruto at the gate and she knew he would always come back for her. 

She was so happy to see him. “Naruto,” she said fiercely, letting her voice carry all the emotion she felt.

Naruto wrapped one arm tightly around her back and squeezed her close. “Sakura,” he said with just as much conviction.

Sakura pulled back slightly, her eyes meeting his with the gentle question. 

Much to her surprise, Naruto’s face broke into a winning smile and he nodded.

Her heart skipped a beat and she moved completely from his arms, drawing back far enough that she could see behind him. There, standing so close that he might have been Naruto’s shadow, was Sasuke. He looked much the same as Sakura remembered if not paler and thinner. He was wearing Naruto’s orange and black jacket zipped up to his chin. 

“Sasuke,” she breathed out.

Naruto turned to face Sasuke as well, his heart breaking in his chest when he saw Sasuke’s dark eyes slide away from Sakura just as they had when Naruto had first found him. He reached out and rested his hand on Sasuke’s shoulder, giving the bones a gentle reassuring squeeze.

Sasuke’s eyes lifted, met Naruto’s for a moment, and then moved cautiously to meet Sakura’s.

She was still waiting, her lips smiling and yet her eyes dark with sadness. She understood, sensed the unspoken scars that had been carved into Sasuke’s very soul. She always had been very intuitive and now was no exception. Patiently, she waited, watching him with such tenderness.

“Sakura,” Sasuke whispered finally.

She smiled at him, smiled at him the way she smiled at Naruto, and then moved closer. Her arms came around him like a castle and he had never felt so small even though she was shorter and slimmer than he was. She pressed her face into his neck and held him close, her lips quivering against his skin.

Though some shattered part of Sasuke’s psyche wanted to press his body to hers sexually, he forced those dark thoughts away. He was back in Konoha now. He was home. His days of being that were behind him, weren’t they? Timidly, Sasuke rested his hands on her back, accepting the embrace as best he could. He glanced over at Naruto and saw that he was smiling proudly as if he had known what Sasuke was thinking. 

Slowly, Naruto drew closer and wrapped his arms around his two most precious friends. 

“Welcome home,” Sakura whispered into them both. “Welcome home.”

The night wind blew softly, whispering. Tomorrow, it would carry news of Uchiha Sasuke's return like a sudden whirlwind. People would talk about Orochimaru again—the sick bastard—and what they could do to stop things like this from happening. But tonight, the breeze was only quiet and peaceful. It carried nothing but the promise of rain and the love of three friends.

X X X

And… I don’t really know where I was going with all of this. I think this is what happens when you watch a special on human trafficking and then go watch Naruto and think about some of the undertones of the series. There won’t be a second part to this even though it feels like there should be. This is just a really long and kind of smutty one-shot.

Questions, comments, concerns?


End file.
